Shattering Illusions
by GodModeSama
Summary: Ongoing. Ichigo visits Aizen in Muken to discuss their battle from the previous year. What Aizen doesn't realize, however, is the boy may have gleaned more of his true self from their brief clash than he at first thought. When the Vandenreich finally strike, Ichigo must decide whether or not to trust the man he had once crossed blades with.
1. Chapter 1

Kurosaki Ichigo stood before the ancient being who called himself the leader of the Gotei 13. As he observed the elderly man wordlessly, he felt sweat pooling at the back of his neck. "I am sorry Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto said at last. "But I simply cannot allow the body of Ginjou Kuugo to travel back to the World of the Living before Kurotsuchi-taichou has been given a chance to analyze it". Ichigo shook his head angrily, barely able to keep his temper in check. "You can't let Mayuri just dissect him Jii-san! Ginjou might have done some horrible things but it wasn't all his fault! He deserves a proper burial!" Behind him, Ichigo heard Mayuri let out an annoyed "Tch." from addressing him so informally. Yamamoto sighed and opened his eyes a fractional amount. "Again, I am sorry Kurosaki Ichigo, but that is my final decision. I will, however, implore Kurotsuchi-taichou to be as uninvasive as possible with his data collection, and we will bury him formally after we have learned all that we can from his corpse." Ichigo frowned at the old man, but knew that he'd get nowhere if he continued to argue, the Captain-Commander's word was final. Yamamoto closed his eyes again before making his next inquiry. "It is regrettable, but a necessary precaution so that we know what we are dealing with if this situation ever comes about again. However, I may still be able to grant any other requests you might have. Is there nothing else you want Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo brought his hand up to his chin in deep thought. He didn't need money, and certainly not Soul Society money. All the information he wanted on his father could wait until his father was ready to tell him, and even then Ichigo wasn't sure if Yamamoto even knew about the undercover Shinigami in Karakura Town to begin with, and the last thing he wanted was to get his dad in hot water thanks to his big mouth. He had to think of something, this was an unprecedented opportunity, Yamamoto was offering him a chance to grant almost any request he made. He should use it to gather information, to learn more about the world that he was still so very ignorant to, but the Gotei 13 were incredibly strict when it came to sharing information about touchy subjects, and Urahara and his dad even moreso. He needed to talk to someone willing to share without fear of backlash. He looked up and fixed the Captain-Commander with a steady gaze. "You said Aizen was sentenced to the lowest level of the Shinigami prison?" The old man nodded, Ichigo took a deep breath. "I want to speak with him."

The effect that simple statement had across the entire room was immediately noticable. Several of the Captains audibly gasped, and he distinctly heard Shinji mutter something that sounded suspiciously like "Idiot.". Kenpachi and Mayuri, however, both let out delighted cackles. Yamamoto did not respond right away, apparently lost in consideration. Ichigo once again found himself at the mercy of the Captain-Commander's scrutinization, and wondered if he should tell him he had changed his mind when the elder Shinigami finally spoke. "Very well." Even more of the Captains gasped at this, and Shinji, not daring to call Yamamoto an idiot, merely stared at him open-mouthed. Again, Mayuri and Kenpachi let out cruel, harsh laughs, louder than before. Yamamoto opened his eyes, causing the entire room to settle down within seconds. "I must insist, however, that you are accompanied by a Captain. It is best that you do not approach Aizen Sousuke alone." He scanned the room to decide on Ichigo's companion, and let out an annoyed grunt as several Captains, namely Hitsugaya, Shunsui and Shinji, all turned their heads to avoid his gaze. Ukitake actually attempted a coughing fit to accompany his muttered comments on how weak he was feeling today and Byakuya began an uncharacteristically animated conversation with Unohana, who returned it in full. Yamamoto shook his head quickly as Kenpachi raised his hand, grinning eagerly. "Cowards." The old man muttered irritably. Ichigo saw a figure step forward out of the corner of his eye.

"I will go Genryuusai-dono." Komamura Sajin said, bowing deeply to the Captain-Commander. Yamamoto nodded. "Thank you Sajin. At least someone has demonstrated that they possess the same mental fortitude as a teenaged boy this day." The rest of the Captains, sans Kenpachi and Mayuri, looked at their leader sheepishly. Ichigo grinned up at Komamura, who returned his smile in full. Yamamoto cleared his throat. "Will that be all Kurosaki Ichigo?" The orange-haired boy nodded. "Very well then. You are all dismissed." Turning to his new traveling partner, Ichigo asked the question he had never given much thought to before. "Where's the prison at anyway Komamura-san? Is it very far?" The wolf shook his head and pointed to the ground. "No. In fact, it's directly below us Kurosaki-san." Ichigo looked down at the floor and couldn't help but shiver. "How does Jii-san sleep if he knows Aizen's right beneath him at all times?" Komamura merely shrugged. "I do not think Genryuusai-dono is frightened that easily." The older Shinigami motioned for Ichigo to follow, and stepping through the doors out of the Captain Meeting Room, set out down the hallway toward the stairs. "I am curious Kurosaki-san, why did you choose this as your favor?" Ichigo scratched the back of his head, wondering if he should give Komamura the full truth. Deciding that since Komamura had been the only one willing to accompany him down to Muken, he at least deserved the honest answer, and looked up at the bestial Captain and spoke. "You guys, the Gotei I mean, you aren't very free with information. Aizen doesn't have anything to lose by telling me what I want to know, and besides," he said, giving a small shrug, "I have something I want to ask him about concerning our battle last year."

It was a mark of Komamura's respect for Ichigo's privacy that the Captain did not pry into his last statement, but that did not stop him from addressing his first. "I think Genryuusai-dono would have been willing to share with you what you needed to know if you had given him a satisfactory reason Kurosaki-san." Ichigo shook his head. "No offense Komamura-san, but Jii-san seems to have a pretty warped view of what I need to know if I never even heard about Ginjou being the Substitute Shinigami before me until he had told me so himself." After that, the two walked for a good distance in silence, each left to their own thoughts. As they began to descend down beneath the earth, Ichigo felt it grow noticably colder, and after a time, the stark white tile floors of the Seireitei gave way to plain brown earth, the walls lined with countless torches. "Aizen's at the bottom right?" Komamura nodded. "Are you nervous? Even restrained as he is I imagine he will still be a rather intimidating presence." Ichigo blinked at the other man. He hadn't thought about that to be honest. "I guess... I'll just try to keep my cool." He said at last, and heard Komamura let out a small, humorless laugh. "You know as well as I do that when it comes to dealing with Aizen Sousuke, keeping a level-head becomes exceedingly difficult." Ichigo was able to force out a nervous laugh before wondering if this hadn't been such a great idea after all. "Um. Komamura-san?" Ichigo said, watching the outline of the large Shinigami in the quickly dimming light. "Why did you come with me?"

As they turned a corner and proceeded down a nearly identical hallway, Ichigo heard Komamura sniffing the air, apparently checking to make sure they were going the right way before answering. "I was of the same mind as Genryuusai-dono. It is unwise to leave someone, especially someone as young as you, if you don't mind me saying Kurosaki-san, alone with a person like Aizen. There is no telling what the man is capable of, especially now that he'll be able to speak for a time." Komamura nodded sagely. "Sometimes words can be deadlier than the sharpest blade." Ichigo nodded at the other man's statement before squinting down the hallway. "Just how much farther is it to his cell? I can't even see the end of this passage." Komamura looked down at Ichigo. "Not much farther. You aren't having second thoughts are you?" Ichigo shook his head. "No. I have to do this, if I don't what I learned is just going to eat at me until I see him again anyway." Again, Komamura didn't attempt to ask Ichigo to explain his cryptic statement, but what he said next nearly made Ichigo trip over his own feet. "Do you believe Aizen can be redeemed Kurosaki-san?" Ichigo looked up at Komamura, open shock displaying on his face. "W-what?" Komamura glanced down at the boy. "It was merely a question. I am interested in your input, as you are the only one who has ever crossed blades with him as equals." Ichigo stared at the wolf for a moment before frowning and placing a fist to his cheek. "Well... I think anyone can be swayed to turn from the wrong path if you know what to say." Ichigo said, closing his eyes in deep thought. "But... for someone like Aizen, I don't think he's ever let enough of his true self show through to allow for anyone to guess what to say to him to achieve that."

"Hmm." Komamura hummed. "An interesting view for one as young as yourself." He nodded. "Perhaps you are right Kurosaki-san. Tousen was sorely misguided for his entire life, but in the end even he was capable of seeing the light. I suppose the same could be said of Aizen, or anyone for that matter." Ichigo grinned jokingly. "Except Mayuri." Komamura let out a bark, which Ichigo took for a laugh. "Ah. Indeed, Kurotsuchi-taichou is too firmly set in his beliefs to ever change." He stopped suddenly, pressing his hand against a wall which, to Ichigo at least, seemed to be no different from the rest of the hallway they had been striding down. He heard a soft clicking noise, and the stone wall lowered itself slowly into the ground, revealing a small hallway beyond. "We are almost there Kurosaki-san." Komamura stated simply as he motioned for the boy to follow. It only took a few more minutes of walking for Ichigo to see the end of this passageway. A large metal door was set into the surrounding rock, a deep black color in comparison to the slate gray in the other hall. "Reiatsu-absorbing stone." Komamura said, answering Ichigo's curious stare. "So the occupants of the cells cannot feel anything coming from the outside. They are completely alone in their own miniature world." The wolf grimaced. "Though that might be to Aizen's tastes knowing him."

Ichigo inspected the door more closely. Surrounding the perimeter of the doorway were complex-looking runes, each glowly slightly in a different color of the rainbow. "Kido enchantments." Komamura explained. "Set by the Captain of the Kido Corps himself. They bolster the defense of the door and make it resistant to most conventional attacks." He pointed to the single, large handle set into the right side of the door. "Though this seems rather simple to open due to it lacking a formal lock, one must actually direct a portion of their reiatsu at the door. If the reiatsu matches any of the signatures granted access to this level of the prison, then the latch will open." Ichigo stared interestedly at the mechanism. "Who all are allowed to open this kind of thing?" Komamura waved his hand to the ceiling, indicating the 1st Division above them. "Genryuusai-dono and all the Captains obviously, but also a select few members of the Onmitsukidou handpicked by Soifon-taichou herself for their loyalty, and a handful of members from the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, though the Captain-Commander has expressedly forbidden any attempts to experiment on Aizen." The wolf placed his hand on the door, which glowed bright green for a few seconds, and Ichigo heard a loud clunk. "That will be the mechanism recognizing my reiatsu signature and beginning to open the door."

Sure enough, it was only a few seconds later that the heavy metal door swung open on its hinges slowly. Inside the room, Ichigo couldn't see a thing, as what small amount of light was still in the hallway seemed to disappear entirely upon crossing the threshhold to the cell. Komamura placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Are you ready for this Kurosaki-san?" Ichigo stared briefly into the void beyond the doorway and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Let's go Komamura-san." As the two stepped through the entryway into the cell itself, Ichigo was nearly blinded by the bright white light bursting seemingly from nowhere the instant they had walked into the prison cell. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the sudden change in brightness, Ichigo caught glimpses of Aizen's cell. The floor, walls and ceiling were all comprised of the same reiatsu-supressing material that made up the outside wall. To Ichigo's mild surprise there was no formal lighting to be found, the cell was seemingly illuminated by some unknown source. However, it was what stood in the exact center of the room that drew Ichigo's attention and caused Komamura to tighten his grip on the boy's shoulder briefly. In a high-backed, black leather chair, wrapped up tightly in countless matching black leather straps, sat Aizen Sousuke, his face hidden behind his bonds. Ichigo could just make out the faint glowing of the Hogyoku beneath the wrappings that covered Aizen's chest.

Taking a step forward, Ichigo heard Komamura mutter "Kurosaki-san..." in warning, but the Substitute Shinigami suddenly found himself filled with inexplicable confidence. Reaching toward the head of the being that sat bound in the chair, Ichigo slowly began to unwrap the straps that obscured Aizen's mouth, eyes and nose. Aizen for his part did not move an inch as Ichigo did this, and when the boy had successfully freed one of the imprisoned man's eyes, it did not open until Ichigo had completely finished unwrapping the rest of his nose and mouth. Stepping back as Aizen slowly blinked at him and looked around to get a handle on his surroundings, the Ex-Captains adopted one of his well-known smirks. "Kurosaki Ichigo. Komamura Sajin." He said simply, his voice growing stronger with every word as it recovered from lack of use. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" Ichigo fixed Aizen with a determined glare. "I want to talk to you," Ichigo responded, inwardly surprised at how calm his voice sounded. "About our battle in Karakura Town. And about the Soul King." Aizen's smile deepened. "By all means then. Ask away."

Ichigo took a moment to determine what he would ask the man first. "Before you beat my dad, Yoruichi-san and Urahara-san, you said that I was the offspring of a Shinigami and a human." Ichigo's eyes met Aizen's, and he couldn't help but notice Aizen's eyes were the same shade of brown as his own. "How did you know about Dad? What did you know about my Mom?" Aizen took in the boy before him silently for a few seconds before answering. "I believe I told of this already Kurosaki Ichigo. I've been observing you since the day you were born. I was the one who sent Grand Fisher to you and your mother when you were still a child. I've always been aware of who you and your parents were." Ichigo had expected that, and had already prepared a counter-question. "Why? I know you said you've been watching me since I was a baby, but that doesn't answer how you knew about my Mom and Dad having me." Aizen blinked, seemingly finding a way to phrase his next statement. "Are you aware of who your father is?" He asked. Ichigo shook his head. "All I know is that he's a Shinigami, I haven't asked him about his past yet." Behind him, Ichigo heard Komamura let out a small gasp. "Komamura-san... please don't say anything to Jii-san. I don't think my Dad wants him to know that he's hiding out in Karakura Town." A few seconds later, Komamura's hesitant voice rung out behind him. "...Very well Kurosaki-san. I will honor your request for now... but if I'm ever directly questioned by the Captain-Commander..." Ichigo nodded, his back still to the wolf. "I understand." Aizen watched the two exchange words amusedly before returning to their conversation. "Well then, it would be in poor taste to reveal secrets that you have no desire to hear from anyone other than your own father Kurosaki Ichigo. I suggest you drop this particular vein of thought before you spoil yourself." Ichigo swore inwardly, he had wanted to know so badly, but if it meant having Aizen expose the truth behind his dad instead of hearing it from his father's own mouth... he supposed he could wait. "Okay." Ichigo said, doing his best to keep his face blank. "Then I want to ask you about the Soul King."

Aizen openly grinned this time, his teeth starkly white against the otherwise black background that surrounded him. "A topic of great interest to me personally." Aizen stated happily. "Go ahead." Ichigo took a deep breath, trying to recall that fateful day over a year ago. "When you were being sealed by Urahara-san, you asked him why he subjected himself to 'that thing', which Urahara-san took to mean the Soul King. Why did you ask him that?" At the mention of Urahara's name, Ichigo noticed Aizen's lip had twitched ever so slightly. "Urahara Kisuke is perhaps the only individual in this world who possesses an intellect equal to my own." He shook his head as much as his bonds would allow him to. "Sadly, he has opted to simply become another sheep in the herd, throwing away the gift of knowledge that has been bestowed upon him. With him at my side, we very well could have succeeded in my plan years ago, and I would now be sitting on God's throne instead of this one." He gestured with his head to the chair he was sitting in. Ichigo frowned. "Why do you want to dethrone the Soul King?" Aizen closed his eyes. "Is it not obvious? Look around you Kurosaki Ichigo. The worlds, all worlds, are in a state of despair. We have the World of the Living, inhabited by ignorant fools with limitless untapped potential and no knowledge of the Spirit realm that lies beyond, their pathetic minds incapable of grasping the truth. We have Hollows, creations of the sins of mankind that feed upon suffering like moths to a flame, organisms that would not even exist to begin with if humanity was not so hopelessly corrupt. But then lastly we have the Shinigami, so called defenders of the weak and helpless, hunters of hollows. But strip them of their powers and what are we left with? Nothing more than egotistical spirits with a thirst for power, too blind to see that they just as irredeemable in their sinful ways as the humans they claim to protect." Komamura scoffed. "That truly is the pot calling the kettle black Aizen." Aizen shrugged. "Think of it what you will Komamura Sajin. I am merely stating the way the world is." He narrowed his eyes at Ichigo. "Speaking of which, you may perhaps recall what I told Urahara Kisuke the last time I saw you Kurosaki Ichigo. 'A victor must always see the way the world should be, not the way the world is.' Urahara Kisuke is content with letting the Soul King govern this inefficient, slowly dying realm he calls a utopia, but I do not wish to see that happen. I will become God and see to it that things are set right."

Ichigo stared confusedly at Aizen. "You sound like a well-intentioned extremist. I don't understand why Soul Society stood against you if that was truly what you wanted to accomplish." Komamura gasped and Aizen's smirk replaced his smile. "You are perhaps more perceptive than I first thought Kurosaki Ichigo, to be able to look past the acts neccessary for revolution and gaze at the bigger picture." He closed his eyes. "For the greater good, some must die so many may live. That is the unfortunate reality, the one the Soul King set in place. I aim to change that." The boy watched the prisoner intently. "You keep saying you'll change things, that only you can be the God this realm needs. What will you do differently Aizen? What's stopping you from getting drunk off your own power and becoming just another version of the Soul King?" Aizen opened his eyes. "My world shall be perfect, Kurosaki Ichigo." His brown orbs glazed over, seemingly lost in pleasant thought. "There shall be no needless sacrifice, no pointless death. The weak will be culled from the strong, and set into their rightful place beneath my heel. There will be no sin, and thus the Hollows shall never come to be, and without Hollows to hunt, the Shinigami will never rise to power. We will all simply be divided between strong and weak, with only those deserving of respect, power and authority being granted it and myself, the strongest of all, at the very top." Behind him, Ichigo heard Komamura growl. "You're a madman Aizen. To speak of people as if they are animals to be sorted according to power." Aizen merely shrugged. "I am sorry that you are too naive to grasp my idea of paradise Komamura Sajin." He looked at Ichigo. "And what say you, Kurosaki Ichigo? What is your opinion of my vision?" Ichigo laughed darkly.

"I think you're bullshitting me Aizen." Aizen narrowed his eyes threateningly. "Oh? Why might you say that Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ichigo shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. "Because if I'm right, and I think I am, you have no interest in furthering your own isolation." He locked eyes with the traitor, who was gazing at him with an almost hungry look in his eyes. "And how do you know that Kurosaki Ichigo? When have I ever given you the impression that I do not wish to distance myself from the weak?" Ichigo's smile contrasted with the sadness in his eyes. "You never told me that. Kyoka Suigetsu did." For the briefest of moments, Ichigo saw that insufferable smirk slide from Aizen's face before returning in full. "I hope you have time to stay and chat for a bit longer Ryoka boy. You have piqued my interest." Ichigo nodded, his confident grin growing ever wider. "I've got all night Aizen. Let's see if I can't break through some of your 'perfect' illusions." Aizen grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

"Very well Kurosaki Ichigo." Aizen's voiced echoed throughout his cell. "Please explain to me what sort of information you received from my Zanpakuto during our battle." He shuffled in his seat as much as his bonds would allow him and fixed the boy with an unwavering gaze. "I am most interested in hearing what you have to say." Ichigo didn't back down from those cold, emotionless eyes. Instead, he gave a small laugh and did his best to return the immortal Shinigami's stare with as confident a grin as possible. "I don't think I'm the right person to tell you what I saw." He shook his head. "To be honest, I'm still having trouble making sense of it myself. That's partly why I came down here." Without turning, Ichigo suddenly posed a question to Komamura, who was watching the two other men confusedly.

"Komamura-san." Ichigo asked, his back to the wolf. "When Yoruichi-san was training me to achieve Bankai, she said there was a way to pull your Zanpakuto spirit into the material world. How?" Behind him, Ichigo heard Komamura let out a small start from being addressed so suddenly and asked such an odd question. "Ah. Kurosaki-san... what you're referring to is the opposite of Jinzen. It's a simple enough technique to explain, but actually performing it is another matter entirely. You must have achieved perfect harmony with your Zanpakuto, as you're quite literally pulling them into a world where they are not meant to be. Only the most advanced Shiniga-"

Ichigo waved his hand and swiveled his neck to look at Komamura with one eye. "I just need to know how to do it Komamura-san. Trust me." The Captain blinked at the air of confidence the boy seemed to exude. "Very well then. As I said, this is the opposite of performing Jinzen. Instead of letting your mind relax and your spirit wander, allowing the Zanpakuto spirit to pull you into their world, you must instead do the opposite; focus your reiatsu and pour it into your very soul, then, when you have accumulated enough power, reach into your inner world and forcibly pull your Zanpakuto into this realm. What you'll have then is a manifestation of your blade's spirit comprised of your own reiatsu that can exist so long as you can afford to put forth that energy into it's body. But it's a trickly process Kurosaki-san, you're bringing something into this world that does not belong, it is likely the spirit will resist." Ichigo nodded. He hadn't needed to hear anything after Komamura's explanation on what he needed to do, nor had he needed the man's warning that the Zanpakuto would not likely wish to be pulled from the haven of Ichigo's soul that it called home, he had felt something, almost as though a hand was reaching out to him from inside of him, that had confirmed his beliefs that he could do it. Zangetsu wanted this as badly as he did.

Closing his eyes for a moment to find that one hand in the torrent of power that was his soul, he concentrated his power as best he could, and, for lack of a better word, pulled. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that it had worked, Komamura's gasp and Aizen's light chuckle were all the confirmation he needed. "K-Kurosaki-san...!" Komamura breathed. "Is... is this your...?" Across from the wolfman, a tall figure draped in a black cloak and sporting a transparent visor nodded, unsmiling, before turning to the Ex-Captain seated in the center of the room. "Yeah." Ichigo said, giving the stunned Shinigami a wide grin and a thumbsup. "That's Zangetsu-no-ossan. See Komamura-san, I told you I could do it." He turned from the still shocked Captain and joined his Zanpakuto in facing Aizen, who was admiring the spirit with an appraising eye. "This is a rather solid manifestation for a first attempt." Aizen observed. "I admit I am impressed Kurosaki Ichigo, though certaintly not surprised. You have always shown great potential."

Zangetsu's eyes locked with Aizen's for a moment, and then, adopting an almost sorrowful expression, the spirit spoke at last. "I have been hoping to get a chance to speak with you, Aizen Sousuke. It's been over a year since I last saw you in the heat of battle." His saddened look deepened. "I had not ever experienced a pain as raw as the kind your blade exuded, not even from Zaraki Kenpachi." Aizen continued to watch the spirit for a few seconds, his smirk still plastered on his face, before answering. "Pain? From Kyoka Suigetsu? I assure you I am not ignorant to my own Zanpakuto's power, quite unlike Zaraki Kenpachi. I have had centuries to develop the bond with my blade, and not until the Hogyoku deemed its existance unneccessary for the time being did I finally view it as disposable." Ichigo watched Zangetsu closely, he had replaced his look of sorrow for one of something Ichigo couldn't quite place his finger on. Was it pity?

"I know. I was not commenting on your lack of synchronization with it. In fact, I was speaking of how strong of a bond you had formed with Kyoka Suigetsu, for it to radiant such powerful emotion." Ichigo was now sure that that was pity in his Zanpakuto's eyes. "Isolation. Misery. Anger. This was what I felt when my world clashed with yours Aizen." Aizen had even stopped blinking now, all of his attention directed at the spirit. Zangetsu let out a sad sigh before continuing. "As I'm sure you know Aizen, a Zanpakuto's inner world is a reflection of the wielder's deepest and most powerful emotions. Just as my world rains when Ichigo feels only despair or remains dry when he is sure of himself, so too was Kyoka Suigetsu's world racked with loneliness, lust, sorrow and anger, for it's owner knew nothing but those very emotions for so long." Zangetsu shook his head sadly. "So strong were these feelings, that even Ichigo, who experienced them indirectly through me, was able to determine what they were."

After Zangetsu had said his piece, Aizen closed his eyes momentarily, seeming to gather his thoughts. Ichigo had noted that during all of his Zanpakuto's speech, Aizen's eyes had grown colder and colder, as though he withdrawing from the world itself. "An interesting assessment, blade of Kurosaki Ichigo. Alas, it is an incorrect one. I have not once felt anything resembling isolation or sorrow. All I have known is ambition. Ambition to change the world I saw around me, the world that was seemingly falling apart before my very eyes. Your words are unfounded." Aizen's eyes shone maliciously as they met Zangetu's. "I am afraid that, without proof, you cannot ever hope to stake any worth in these claims."

At this, to everyone's outward surprise except Aizen's, Zangetsu laughed. "I have proof Aizen." In response to the single eyebrow Aizen had raised at this statement, Zangetsu reached behind his empty back, and the bladed form of himself manifested in his hand, which he drew. "Ichigo." The spirit called, causing his owner to give a start and turn to him. "Y-yeah?" The orange-haired boy asked, eyeing his Spirit's weapon hesitantly, as the visored man turned to address him. "I want you to concentrate on me, the version of me that exists inside of you. Do not allow yourself to become distracted, as I will be the only thing keeping your soul tethered to your body, but I think this is important for you to see. You might not understand at first what is happening, but whatever you do, do not falter in your strength." Zangetsu smiled slightly as he repeated a phrase Ichigo had heard him utter before. "Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate."

Ichigo gulped loudly and nodded. "A-alright Zangetsu-no-ossan. I'll do whatever you say." He watched as Zangetsu approached Aizen, pointing the cleaver that constituted Ichigo's Shikai at the center of the immortal man's chest, right at the Hogyoku. "Now Ichigo. Allow yourself to latch onto my very essence!" Ichigo had just enough time to see Zangetsu plunge the sword into Aizen's chest before he had closed his eyes and reached out for Zangetsu, who had grasped him immediately in return. He heard a sound as though he were being led through a waterfall, and when he opened his eyes he was greeted by a sight that nearly caused him to break the promise he had made to keep his concentration on Zangetsu.

Ichigo and Zangetsu were in Karakura Town, or rather what Karakura Town had looked like over a year ago on the day of Aizen and Ichigo's fated battle, watching the longer-haired, silent Ichigo do battle with the clearly outclassed Aizen, the Hogyoku shining in the demigod's chest and a massive pair of wings sprouting from his back. Unlike the scene Ichigo remembered in his head from that day, however, a constant wail was erupting from Aizen's blade, it's cry growing stronger by the second. "Watch carefully Ichigo. This was your battle as I saw it." As present-Ichigo watched past-Ichigo swing his sword, he noticed Aizen was rapidly falling back to defense, and at last instead of dodging, the Ex-Captain blocked Zangetsu with his own blade.

**CLANG.**

The scene immediately changed. They were in Soul Society, or at least what Ichigo assumed to be Soul Society. It was nighttime and raining outside of the filthy hovel he and Zangetsu found themselves in, but before he got a good chance to take a look at his surroundings, a repressed sob turned his attention to a nearby corner. There, in the darkness, Ichigo could just barely make out three figures, two lying on the ground and one bending overtop them. Approaching them to get a closer look, Ichigo gasped. The crouching figure was a tiny boy, not older than 3, clutching a bloodied blade. His mousy brown hair and frail-looking figure matched almost exactly the smaller of the two individuals lying on the ground, though it seemed to be a girl instead of a boy. "Sousuke..." The tiny child let out with a cry. "Why...?" The little boy shuddered and extended a quivering hand to the girl. "I-I'm... I c-couldn't c-control myself..." He said shakily, but the girl's eyes had gone blank before the boy's hand had reached her. The other figure, an adult woman, watched the boy with anger in her eyes. "Sousuke. Y-You're nothing more than a m-monster." The woman coughed, blood erupting from her mouth, before continuing with the last of her energy. "To h-have such... p-power... You s-shall... always... be... a... monster..." The woman's eyes, too, glazed over, death taking her. The little boy screamed, reiatsu seemed to suffocate the surrounding area, and the house began to crumble. Before Ichigo could watch anymore, however, the sound of two blades clashing rang out again.

**CLANG.**

The scene shifted once more. Now a bespectacled child, no older than Yuzu Ichigo gathered, wearing the white-and-red robes signifying a Shinigami-in-Training and their class, was sitting at a table in a library. "The Shinigami Academy." Zangetsu stated beside his owner. Seemingly right on queue, three more white-robed young men walked through the doorway, though Ichigo could see that despite apparently belonging to the same class as Aizen, these three were easily twice his age. At the sound of feet approaching, Aizen looked up, and the boys, who seemingly had not noticed the other boy in the room until now, assumed horrified expressions. Quickly scattering throughout the shelves, Aizen watched them with an almost bitter expression on his face before turning back to the scroll he had been reading. As he read, Ichigo saw Aizen's eyes light up and a gasp escape his lips before quickly shutting the scroll and rising from his seat. Walking over behind him to get a closer look, Ichigo was able to make out the words on the outside of the tattered scroll before, once again, that familiar sound erupted from nowhere. 'THE ROYAL REALM.' Ichigo assumed that the battle raging in Karakura Town had temporarily heightened, as the next few glimpses he caught of his surrounding quickly changed in rapid succession.

**CLANG.**

Aizen, now garbed in the full dress of a proper Shinigami Academy graduate and looking to be roughly Ichigo's age, was shivering madly, his face hidden by his hands. Scattered about him in his room were several other scrolls the same style as the one Ichigo had seen the child Aizen holding from before. Zangetsu pointed to a particularly old one before the scene evaporated before them. 'REPORT ON THE SOUL KING - CLASSIFIED'. There was blood on the edge. Aizen looked up, his shaking suddenly ceasing, his expression set, perhaps for the first time in his life, into that horrible smirk.

**CLANG.**

Aizen, wearing a badge emblazoned with the 5th Division's symbol, was scribbling calmly on a long sheet of paper, beside him sat the Hogyoku glowing, inactive, on the table. Watching it greedily, he picked it up and let out an almost insane bark of laughter before heading out into the night air. Ichigo knew Shinji wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.

**CLANG.**

They were watching the aftermath of Aizen's Captaincy ceremony. The slightly older-looking Aizen watched the large group of observing Shinigami clapping for him with feigned embarassment, waving at them all nervously. For a fraction of a second, Ichigo watched confusion flit across Aizen's features as he regarded the audience praising him and shouting kind words. No sooner had that look appeared on Aizen's face however before it was once again replaced by his act of sheepish gratitude.

**CLANG.**

Aizen was seated on a cushion in his home, the window outside displaying a view of Soul Society at night. Behind him, Momo was fast asleep in his bed. Aizen finished writing his farewell note to Momo and turned to look at a picture on the table. Picking it up, Ichigo saw it was in fact a photograph of Aizen and many of the various Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13, apparently celebrating what looked to be Aizen's birthday from a previous year. As he looked at it silently, Aizen's hand slowly began to tighten on the frame, his expression unreadable until, at last, the photo shattered in his hand and fell to the floor in pieces. Looking at it for a few more moments, Aizen let out a soft laugh, shaking his head, and rose to leave the building.

**CLANG.**

The last memory Ichigo caught a glimpse of showed Aizen in Hueco Mundo, his appearance changed to display the slicked-back hair and white uniform he had worn after his betrayal. Seated at a long table with him was a man Ichigo had recognized as the Espada who had retrieved Inoue from him when she had tried to heal Kenpachi after his battle with the 5th Espada, who seemed to be speaking to Aizen about a very personal matter. Aizen, wearing his usual expression of bored amusement, nodded once before gesturing to the door, which Starrk apparently took to mean that their conversation had come to an end and left immediately. As the Primera turned out of Aizen's sight, the Ex-Captain assumed a thoughtful expression, mouthing a single word. 'Loneliness...'.

Instead of another clang ringing out around them, Ichigo and Zangetsu experienced a loud shattering noise, as if a pane of glass had been broken nearby. Ichigo watched Tensa Zangetsu and a bright figure comprised of what looked to be shards of some kind of reflective material standing in an empty space. The figure spoke, an ambiguous voice sounding from it. "Help us...". The spirit of Ichigo's Bankai merely nodded and closed it's eyes. A high-pitched scream erupted from the heavens above them, and Ichigo knew that Aizen had finally begun to evolve into his final form. The shining figure exploded, it's shout joining Aizen's, and Zangetsu gripped Ichigo's shoulder and pulled.

Opening his eyes and panting heavily, Ichigo felt Komamura's hands grip his shoulders to steady him. "Kurosaki-san! Are you alright?" Ichigo groaned. "What happened?" He heard Komamura making a thoughtful noise. "When your Zanpakuto stabbed Aizen you two seemed to convulse for a moment before going limp, then after a minute or so you suddenly rose and shouted something so slurred I could not make it out. Are you sure you are fit to stand?" Ichigo turned, sweating, to look at the Captain. "I'm fine Komamura-san. Really." Komamura looked unsure about Ichigo's words, but nodded anyway and released his grip on the Substitute Shinigami. Ichigo nodded appreciatively, and noticing Zangetsu was no longer with him, turned to face Aizen. What Ichigo witnessed momentarily stunned him into silence.

Aizen was frowning, his eyes shone with raw anger, yet the way his face contorted made Ichigo think of a man in deep pain. "Aizen..." Ichigo began, but Aizen shook his head, cutting him off. "Fabrications." Almost instantly, the emotion Aizen had been displaying vanished, replaced by his usual smug smirk. "None of what you witnessed was the truth Kurosaki Ichigo, and what you did see was either taken entirely out of context or warped by your Zanpakuto's false impression of me." He fixed Ichigo with a firm stare. "I think that I have spoken with you enough this day Ryoka boy. You may leave." Ichigo glared at Aizen, fury welling up within him.

"You're just going to blow me off like that?! If anything, that just proves what I saw was the truth!" Ichigo stamped his foot and took a step closer to the imprisoned Shinigami. "Why can't you admit it Aizen?! Why?!" He shook his head furiously. "You weren't alone! When you were a Captain you had friends! Why did you leave them?! You were happy, even if you didn't want to admit it!" Aizen only stared expressionlessly at the boy in response, and Ichigo grunted in frustration, ready to begin shouting again before Komamura walked past him. "Kurosaki-san, as much as it pains me to admit it, I actually happen to agree with Aizen on this. I think you two have spoken enough." The wolf began to re-wrap Aizen's bonds around his head. "You have had your fun today Aizen. I hope you enjoyed it, for only 20,000 years of solitude await you." Aizen merely grinned one last time at the two of them before his mouth was covered.

Ichigo watched the Captain step back to admire his work, assuring himself that Aizen was completely bound before turning his attention to the boy. "You lost your temper it seems Kurosaki-san." He said simply, and Ichigo looked at the ground abashed. "I tried my best Komamura-san... I did. But... he just won't admit it, he can't be honest with himself, it's infuriating!" He punched the wall with his hand as he made his way to the exit, and, walking through the doorway into the hall, heard Komamura reseal the door. "I understand Kurosaki-san. But allowing yourself to become irritated by him is exactly what Aizen wants. It is best to put this whole experience behind you." Ichigo nodded, grateful Komamura did not pry into the meaning of his words. "Yeah. Okay. I guess I should get back home Komamura-san. Let's go." And with that, the two Shinigami made their way back up to the surface of Soul Society, content to journey on in simple silence.

* * *

Through his bindings Aizen heard the door to his cell shut, and let out a small, muffled laugh. The foolish boy had not changed a bit, he was as easy to manipulate as he had always been. Closing his eyes, he searched through his soul to find what he was looking for, ignoring the regular pulsing of the Hogyoku occupying a portion of his being. Finding the occupant of his crowded essence at long last, Aizen dove gracefully into his inner world for what he felt was the thousandth time.

Landing lightly atop the surface of an endless lake, the moon shining brightly in the sky, Aizen took in his surroundings. He seemed to be alone, but he had traveled to this place enough times to know to never trust his own eyes, which like his body, were not bound in this world. "That was an interesting experience." Aizen called into the night air. "Even I was unaware you could create illusions to fool a fellow Zanpakuto, and one that had never even seen my release at that." At his words, the water before him rippled, and several fragments of what seemed to be glass rose to the surface of the lake. The pieces began to coalesce into a body, and after a brief moment Aizen was standing before an exact replica of himself, except this Aizen seemed to be female; it displayed a distinct hourglass figure, softer features and longer hair.

Aizen chuckled delightedly before his Zanpakuto's spirit. "You always choose such amusing forms... Kyoka Suigetsu."


	3. Chapter 3

The female Aizen gave an amiable, tinkling laugh. "I did hope this would appeal to your sense of aethestics Sousuke." Kyoka Suigetsu waved a hand in the air, and a table, two chairs and tea set materialized before it, indicating it's owner to take a seat. Aizen nodded graciously and sat down before the spirit, pouring a cup for himself and his genderswapped copy before answering, a look of intense pain on his face. "Your words wound me Kyoka Suigetsu, you seem to think of me as some sort of narcissist." He took a drink, grimacing, and set the cup down. "Alas, tea in this world shall never truly compare to reality's version."

Aizen's female counterpart gave the man an apologetic smile before resuming it's previous one of mild complacency. "Forgive me for saying so Sousuke, but I do not think you came here for tea and pleasant conversation. Your praise regarding my power is flattering, but it seems you are under some false impressions yourself." Aizen and Kyoka Suigetsu both took another drink, Aizen's lasting longer as he absorbed himself in thought. At last he set the teacup on the table and addressed his Zanpakuto. "Oh? And just what sort of false impressions might those be?"

Kyoka Suigetsu suddenly gave a spasm as though it were suffering some sort of stroke before it's body exploded into shards and reformed into the figure of Ichimaru Gin. It flashed Aizen Gin's well-known, unsettling grin before responding. "Please do not take me for some kind of fool Sousuke. You are adept at weaving a web of falsehoods around those you know in reality, but I am a reflection of your very soul. You cannot feign ignorance to me." The fake Gin took another drink and continued. "Several of those scenes Kurosaki Ichigo and his blade witnessed were the truth, I merely altered a few details for the sake of keeping your plan private."

Aizen's cold smile faded ever-so-slightly. "That is of little importance. The boy is a fool, he'll never be able to-" Kyoka Suigetsu cut him off, opening Gin's bright blue eyes to meet Aizen's deep brown. "The boy is more perceptive than you seem to take him for, which is rather surprising given how excellent a judge of other's characters you have been up until now. Or perhaps you are well aware of his acumen and are merely telling yourself this to assuage your fears?" Aizen's smirk had now completely disappeared, replaced by an unreadable, neutral expression. "I have no fear of Kurosaki Ichigo."

Gin's copy let out a shrill laugh. "That is not what I was referring to Sousuke. I think you have a fear of yourself, or rather, your true self." Aizen absent-mindedly raised his cup to his lips to take another drink, but, noticing it was empty already, set about pouring himself a second. "Conversing with you can sometimes be a rather wearying task Kyoka Suigetsu. You speak in nothing but riddles. I occasionally feel something akin to sympathy for those I perform the same act to in reality whilst I am here." He fixed the false Gin with a stern gaze. "However, I do not wish to speak of this with you. I merely came here to compliment your ingenuity and pass some time during my imprisonment." Kyoka Suigetsu laughed once more and began to reform itself again, this time into the figure of a large, cloaked man sporting unkempt hair and a mustache Aizen vaguely recognized. "Though nothing would please me more than to have a chance to speak with you at length Sousuke, it seems you have a visitor. I took the liberty of altering your perception of time whilst you were in here. Outside, you will find several hours have passed." Kyoka Suigetsu took another drink before feigning rememberance. "Ah, but before you leave Sousuke, I advise you spend some time thinking on, not only the illusions you have cast on others in furtherance of your plans, but the illusions you seemed to have cast upon yourself. They do nothing but hold you back."

Aizen merely nodded at his blade's cryptic statement. "As ambiguous as ever I see." Aizen rose to leave, his back to his blade. "I am rather glad the Hogyoku did not deem you worthless, Kyoka Suigetsu. Once again I must compliment you upon your decision to disappear from my grasp when Urahara Kisuke's seal activated. Truly ingenious, even he suspects I am disarmed now." He heard his Zanpakuto's spirit let out another tinkling laugh, it seemed to have readopted it's female form. "And once again you flatter me Sousuke. As I said before, I am merely a reflection of your own conscious You have only yourself to praise." Aizen readopted his trademark grin and closed his eyes, rising from his inner world just in time to hear an explosion rock his cell.

Moments later, he felt the pressure his binds exerted upon his body disappear, and opening his eyes, saw that they had been cut cleanly in half vertically down from his head. Pulling them casually off his form as though they had been nothing but an extra layer of clothing, Aizen saw for the first time the one he had to give credit to for his freedom. It was the same man Kyoka Suigetsu had taken the shape of at the end of their conversation. Aizen flashed him a shining smile. "I appreciate your willingness to liberate me, but it was hardly necessary " The freed Ex-Captain gestured to the orb embedded in his chest. "I was never truly trapped to begin with you see." The tall, imposing figure returned Aizen's smirk with one of his own. "I am well aware of that Aizen Sousuke. I merely wished to speak with you." He pointed to the hole in the ceiling to Aizen's cell that he had apparently entered through.

"I know your sense of hearing has been deprived of you for some time Aizen Sousuke, therefore I shall give you a chance to reacclimate to your surroundings and take in the sounds of the world above." Aizen, having been using his sense of hearing for several hours up to this point, did not need time to adjust and register the screams, explosions and various reiatsus that emanated from the opening in the ceiling. "Ah." Aizen said, feigning surprise. "So you have finally decided to strike then? That is a rather bold move. I do hope you are prepared." The mustachioed man let out a bark of laughter, and the blade he had used to slice Aizen's bonds in two dematerialized from his grasp. "I assure you Sousuke Aizen, my men have been trained and all necessary precautions have been taken, including the sealing of Kurosaki Ichigo in the Dangai Precipice World."

Aizen simulated a look of deep surprise. "You say you have sealed Kurosaki Ichigo in such a way that he shall not interfere with your plans? An impressive feat." The man let out yet another amused growl. His expression changing to one of mild impatience as a searing heat suddenly manifested itself inside the cell. Aizen resumed his false surprise. "Oh my. It seems the Captain-Commander has released his Bankai at long last. If you do not hurry you may miss the show."

The cloaked man did not respond to Aizen's statement this time with laughter, but rather with a stern look directed at the entrance he had created in Aizen's cell's ceiling. "Do not fail me Royd." He muttered before turning back to the former prisoner with a cordial expression. "You are correct, and that is why I unfortunately must rush these proceedings." He took a deep breath before speaking his next words with an air of one bestowing a great honor upon an individual. "Sousuke Aizen, I, Juha Bach, as emperor of the Vandenreich, wish to extend to you an offer to join our prestigious ranks as a Special War Potential." Aizen regarded the man before him calmly, placing his fingers together.

"Forgive me if I am wrong, but it seems that that would in fact be a rank beneath your own, Juha Bach." Aizen flashed the man a pleasant grin. "I find working under someone else to be entirely unfitting a god such as myself." Bach walked forward slowly, the shining blue reishi blade he had used earlier reappearing in his hands and pointing it at Aizen's head. Aizen actually laughed. "And what exactly will you do Juha Bach? I cannot die." Bach grinned broadly before lowering the blade. "You are quite right Aizen Sousuke. And that is the very reason why that I shall not pursue this particular course of action at this present moment, for we have all the time in the world for you to come around. I merely wished to present the opportunity to you." Aizen closed his eyes, an amused smirk playing at his features.

"Your interest is appreciated Juha Bach, but not desired. I have no intentions of placing myself beneath another's command." Bach's own grin did not fade. "As I said Aizen Sousuke, you will come around in the end, when all Soul Society is reduced to ash and the Zero Division lie dead at my feet." Aizen opened his eyes and fixed Bach with an interested gaze. "The Zero Division you say?" Bach laughed. "Did that pique your interest? Indeed, it is the goal of the Vandenreich to bring all corrupt Shinigami to justice, including the defenders of the Soul King himself." Aizen watched Bach closely for a few moments before responding. "I do not think your men are prepared to face the Royal Guard." Bach nodded. "Perhaps. But you are. Is there nothing I can say or do to convince you to at least consider my offer?" At this, Aizen closed his eyes once more, deep in thought. "Yes. There are several things you can agree to that will cause me to give your words deeper thought Juha Bach." Bach gave Aizen a delighted smile in return.

* * *

The sounds of metal clanging against reishi rang throughout the Dangai Precipice World, periodically interspersed with the hopeful chorus of the dying Shinigami that their hero was on his way and the lamentations of the young man trapped there. "Damn it!" Ichigo yelled, attacking the bars of his cage once again. "This can't be happening! Everyone… everyone is depending on me!" Raising Zangetsu for what seemed to be the hundredth time, he swung down hard, but again the cage showed no reaction to his strikes. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice sound out from his communicator, dwarfing the rest of the voices belonging to the Gotei 13 soldiers. "Bankai. Zanka no Tachi." Ichigo froze mid-swing. "That voice... the old man..."

He breathed a sigh of immense relief, if the old man had gone Bankai, then there was no way Soul Society was going to lose this war. He was simply too strong. Wven here, in this interdimensional rift, he could feel the temperature rising as Yamamoto's massive reaitsu clashed with the leader of the Vandenreich's. Without warning, a Senkaimon opened off in the direction of Soul Society, and a large figure strode through into the tunnel between worlds that Ichigo was trapped in. "H-hey! Over here!" Ichigo yelled. The figure broke into a run, and as it drew near Ichigo saw the form of Komamura Sajin, a white-cloaked girl no more than Ichigo's age sitting on his shoulder. "K-Komamura-san?"

The bestial Captain nodded at the orange-haired youth and looked to his companion. "You did not lie." She closed her eyes momentarily at his words and one of her eyebrows twitched. "You act as if I have no honor puppy." Ichigo stared confusedly at the two, then as the girl lowered herself from Komamura's shoulder, he caught sight of the five-pronged cross that served as the symbol for the Vandenreich from underneath her cloak. "Komamura-san look out! She's a-" Komamura cut him off by raising his hand. "Do not worry Kurosaki-san, I am well aware of what she is. And what she is, is our ally." The girl looked back up at the wolf, frowning slightly. "D-don't get the wrong idea doggie. I'm only doing this because you spared my life, and because the pride of the Quincy refuses to allow something like that to simply be ignored. This has nothing to do with you personally, got it?" The Shinigami Captain merely nodded wordlessly, which somehow seemed to agitate the girl even further.

Pulling her cap over her eyes to hide her rapidly reddening face as she approached the cage, Ichigo finally managed to get over his shock and formulate a sentence. "H-hold on Komamura-san. What's going on?" Komamura looked at Ichigo and formed a small, sad smile. "The heat you are feeling right now is from the Captain-Commander's Bankai, Kurosaki-san. He is currently in battle with the leader of the Vandenreich, but I do not think he will last forever. This Stern Ritter was gracious enough to supply us with the details of your capture, saying that their leader, known as Juha Bach, seems to believe you're the only person capable of still serving as a threat to his plans. She then went on to tell us of your current situation, which explained why we had had difficulty contacting you recently. And to top it all off, this helpful young lady is going to free you." The Quincy girl outside of the cage across from Ichigo was now glowing scarlet. "S-shut up doggie! I'm not on your side, I told you!" Ichigo stared at her blankly for a moment.

"Wait. How are you going to break this cage? I've been hitting it for hours and nothing's worked." The Quincy smiled smugly and placed a hand on the energy comprising the bars of Ichigo's prison. "It's very simple really. His Majesty gave Kirge the ability to manipulate Reishi across vast distances, and he used it to create an unbreakable cage. Unbreakable as in immune to physical and spiritual attacks that is. Quincy techniques, which often use Reishi manipulation however..." Her hand glowed briefly and the bars to the cage shattered like glass. "Are all that is needed to dispell the ability. Even a first year student would have been able to break free from this trap." Ichigo glowered at her. "Well I'm not a Quincy." He retorted. She sniggered. "Obviously. How his Majesty views you as a threat I'll never know..." Before Ichigo had a chance to open his mouth, something happened that caused the three of them to let out astonished gasps. The heat had faded, and with it, Yamamoto's reiatsu. Komamura was the first to snap out of his surprise. "Genryuusai-dono!"

He howled, about to move for the exit. The girl caught his arm at the last second, fear evident upon her features. "H-hold up doggie! You don't understand! If the old man is dead, then that means the Fuhrer has won, and he's likely about to give us all the order to destroy Soul-" Without warning a smooth voice erupted from the medallion she was carrying in her pocket.** "This is an order to all Stern Ritter from his Majesties right-hand, Hashvald: His Majesty has emerged victorious. Yamamoto Shigekuni is defeated. Initiate the purge, then fall back to Headquarters for further orders. The Royal Guard are coming."** She winced. "See? Right now all active Stern Ritter are summoning in foot soldiers from headquarters to reduce your world to rubble. It's probably safer if we fall back to Hueco Mundo, I can't feel Kirge's presence anymore." She pointed at the direction Ichigo had come from hours ago. The orange-haired boy shook his head, determination in his eyes. "No. I can't go. I'm the last one who can save us. You two leave. Komamura-san, get Inoue, Chad and Urahara-san to safety. Take them to my house, my dad will know what to do."

Komamura's response to Ichigo was a firm glare. "Do you take me for some form of honorless coward Kurosaki-san?!" Ichigo looked at Komamura, abashed, not getting a chance to respond before the Captain continued. "I will not fall back while a child goes to defend the honor of Genryuusai-dono! You may be the last one capable of facing Juha Bach, Kurosaki-san, but I will not stand idly by while you do so. My men, my comrades-in-arms, our friends, Kurosaki-san, they're going to die if we don't return to Soul Society." Ichigo stared at the wolf, stunned. "K-Komamura-san..." He watched the girl resume her place on Komamura's shoulder, letting out a long sigh as she sat down. "No helping it huh? You sure are a dumb dog." Komamura merely shrugged, turning to face the way he and the Quincy had come. He made an odd gesture with his hand, and another Senkaimon opened beside the one he had arrived from. "Yours is on the left. I will arrive to assist you as soon as I acquire back-up. Are you ready Kurosaki-san? Bambietta?" Ichigo nodded, racing forward so quickly he barely had time to hear Bambietta scolding Komamura for using her first name. "Good luck Komamura-san!" Ichigo shouted as he approached the exit of the Dangai Precipice World.

Blasting out into Soul Society at long last, Ichigo had to force himself to concentrate on finding Juha Bach and ignore the destruction he saw around him, but somewhere deep in his being he still felt his heart give a twang of sorrow. There was nothing left but ruins, soldiers marching in formation slaughtering everything in their path, the cries of the dying and the countless corpses of the already dead. Distantly, Ichigo noticed several reiatsu still revealing their owners in battle, and the thought gave him some small comfort, though the absence of Rukia or Renji's still caused him some pause. Discovering that the reiatsu he had felt surge before Yamamoto's had disappeared was in fact right below him, Ichigo grunted. "Thanks for depositing me here Komamura-san. Guess it's right to business!"

He Shunpo'd from the cloud he had created upon his entry to aim a swing at Juha Bach's back. The moment he had emerged from his cover, however, Bach had reacted. It took Ichigo a split-second to realize Bach had just blocked his attack without turning, merely raising two fingers behind him to counter the strike. "You arrived sooner than I anticipated, Kurosaki Ichigo. I must wonder how you freed yourself from my Jail." He swiveled his head just enough to regard Ichigo with one eye. "Do not tell me this is the best you have to offer?" Ichigo jumped back and assumed a defensive stance. A weak voice caused him to suddenly falter, but Bach did not take the opportunity to exploit Ichigo's temporary opening. "K-Kuro...saki... Ichi-go?" Ichigo looked past the form of Bach to find the remains of Yamamoto, his upper half severed from his lower, his other arm ending in a stump to accompany the one he had lost back in the Winter War. "Jii...-san?" Ichigo responded, dumbstruck.

Yamamoto did not turn to look at Ichigo, in fact, Ichigo was surprised the old man was capable of speech at all in the state he was in. "I am... sorry... you had to... get involved... in... this. But... you are not... strong enough... to face this man... I urge you... run..." Bach let out a cruel, harsh laugh. "Even in his dying moments the Captain-Commander displays how weak he has become. To care for this boy? You truly have fallen Yamamoto Shigekuni." Ichigo charged Bach, fury filling his entire being, but every swing he aimed at Bach was easily blocked, either through Bach dodging at the last second, parrying the blow with his own reishi blade, or simply stopping the strike with his free hand. "That is not enough Kurosaki Ichigo. You are weak, and as it stands, you shall always be weak." He let out another evil laugh. "There is nobody left in Soul Society who can stand before me. You have lost." Ichigo was saved from having to respond to Bach by another voice answering in his stead.

"That is not entirely true." Bach's eyes widened momentarily before he lept from the spot he had been standing half a second before a blade swung down at him. "Are you alright, Kurosaki-san?" A woman's voice asked him, her flowing black hair hiding her features from the boy. Ichigo swallowed. "Y-yeah." Wait. He knew that voice. "Unohana-san?" The Captain of the Fourth Division turned to face him. She looked like a completely different person with her hair free from that braid, it blew uncontrollably about in the wind, and her eyes seemed to be wilder, fiercer. Ichigo knew this was not the same woman he had traveled to the Fake Karakura Town with the previous year. "Fall back. That is an order." She said, watching Ichigo with those frightening eyes. Despite his trepidation, Ichigo still shook his head firmly. "I-I can't! I've come to help!" Unohana's eyes briefly reverted back to the motherly, caring ones he had seen before. "I'm sorry Kurosaki-san, but you have arrived far too late. There is nothing more for you to do. You are not even a full Shinigami, we true members of the Gotei 13 shall take over from here." And at her words Ichigo watched as several other Captains arrived on the battlefield, surrounding Bach and his white-haired subordinate. "Soifon, Komamura-san, Rose, Kensei!" He said, turning around to face the rest of them. "Toshiro, Hirako, Mayuri, Ukitake-san, Kyoraku-san!" He noticed Byakuya and Kenpachi were missing, but Unohana's next statement tore him from his thoughts. "You are relieved from duty Kurosaki Ichigo. You no longer are aligned with the Gotei 13, and as such are not required to abide by our laws." She gave him a pleading look. "Please, Kurosaki-san. Run."

Ichigo watched her open-mouthed for a few seconds. "W-what?" He asked stupidly. "You... you're kicking me out of the Gotei 13?" Unohana nodded, and Ichigo shook his head. "No... no! That doesn't matter! I don't care if I don't have to..." A thought had occurred to him. Unohana said he was no longer bound by their laws. Which meant he could try something crazy. Something that truly meant they had no other options. If Bach was capable of killing Yamamoto using Bankai, what chance did any of his friends stand, even all together as they were? Most of them wouldn't even be able to use their Bankai, either because it had been sealed or out of fear of harming their allies. He was the only one who could help them now. "Okay." He looked at all his friends one more time. "Please, all of you, listen to me. Don't die. I'll come back, I promise!" And with that Ichigo ran from the battlefield, directing himself toward the place the First Division used to stand. As Juha Bach's reiatsu clashed with Unohana's and the remaining Captain's released their respective Shikais.

Upon arriving at his destination, Ichigo was stunned to find a massive crator leading deep, deep down into the Shinigami prison. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who came to see you recently." He muttered, walking over to the edge. "Here goes nothing." And with that, Ichigo jumped, falling for what seemed to be minutes, until at last seeing the grounding rising up rapidly before him and cushioning his landing with a pillow of reiatsu. "No wonder it took Komamura-san and I such a long time to get down here." He grumbled to himself, looking up from where he had just fallen. Remembering where he was, Ichigo quickly drew Tensa Zangetsu and directed his gaze toward the center of the room. To his astonishment, Aizen was freed from his bonds. But to Ichigo's even greater astonishment however, Aizen was merely sitting in his throne, watching him with a look of intense curiosity. "Kurosaki Ichigo. How wonderful it is to see you again so soon. And might I ask what brings you down here for the second day in a row?" he wondered, the Hogyouku in his chest glowing brightly. It was alive once more. Ichigo couldn't help but let out a humorless laugh.

This really was insane.


	4. Chapter 4

Unohana ducked just in time to avoid a blow aimed in her direction from Bach's sword. Attempting to take advantage of the opening provided to her from the strike, she slashed her blade upwards, succeeding in nicking the Quincy's chin as he took a step back. Watching the droplet of blood fall to the ground interestedly, Bach then turned his gaze back to the woman, who was panting heavily and nursing a bleeding arm. Despite having fought Bach for what felt like several minutes now, this was the first real wound any of them had been able to inflict.

"Impressive. It seems that, unlike Yamamoto Shigekuni, you have not gone soft in your years of peace, Unohana Retsu." Bach inclined his head an infinitesimal in her direction before gesturing toward the area surrounding them. "It really is a shame then that, aside from Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Juushiro, the rest of your fellow Captains are proving such poor sport." Unohana glared at Bach, who merely grinned in return before turning to look at the figures to his left. "I expected more from that one in particular. The daten said you all had high hopes for him."

Hitsugaya Toshiro was lying motionless on the ground nearby, blood oozing steadily from his facedown body. The hilt of his Zanpakuto was still in the limp grasp of his hand, yet the fractured blade that belonged to the other half of it was a good ten or so yards away. "In the end, he merely served to disappoint." Bach said, almost sadly. "Ah well. At least you learned a valuable lesson, Unohana Retsu." He turned back to Unohana with that same grin still plastered to his face. "Commanding the rest of the Captains to fall back and deal with my foot soldiers while you and your fellow seniors stayed here to do battle with me was a very noble sacrifice."

Unohana didn't get a chance to retort, as Kyoraku had apparently decided that now, while Bach was too busy monologuing to pay attention to his surroundings, would be a good time to strike. Rising from the shadow Bach had cast on the ground, he swung with all his might at the portion of the Quincy not covered by that flowing black cloak. "Irooni: White." Kyoraku called out in a calm, deadly voice. Bach, displaying such speed at which even Kyoraku couldn't keep up, moved his body so slightly and so quickly that Kyoraku's swords uselessly tore into the dark cloth Bach usually covered his back and sides with. Recoiling from the blow and sent flying with a punch to the stomach, Kyoraku had no time to react to Bach pointing two fingers at him. "I'll admit I was rather surprised to see you alive, Kyoraku Shunsui." The tips of Bach's fingers began to glow, crackling with white and blue lightning. "It seems I made a miscalculation, I expected the Stern Ritter I assigned to you to have eliminated you in a far more timely manner. Still, he, out of all my soldiers aside from Hashvald here, knows the true meaning of loyalty, so I may find it within my heart to spare him for his failure. You, however, shall not be so lucky."

The energy that Bach had gathered erupted from his hand as a single word escaped his lips. "Black." The mass of light formed into an arrow, directed squarely at the area of black cloth covering Kyoraku's chest. At the last moment, a figure stepped between the projectile and the stunned Shinigami, and the arrow disappeared briefly before flying back at it's owner, twice as fast as before. Bach did not have time to react to this however, as in that brief period that he had been certain his attack would strike true and Ukitake had arrived in time to save his friend, Unohana had aimed a blow right at his neck. Though succeeding in blocking the woman's Zanpakuto, he was hit squarely in the chest by his own arrow and sent flying back into the remains of several buildings. A concerned voice sounded from across the battlefield.

"Your Majesty!" A white-haired man shouted, ready to move to his master's side in an instant, but was stopped short by a reply. "Hold, Hashvald. That is an order." Bach emerged from the smoke and rubble admiring the small wound he had received to his chest, which was bleeding very lightly. "This is not your fight. I commanded you to stand back and observe and that is what you shall do." Hashvald bowed deeply and rose with a concerned look on his face. "I understand Juha Bach-sama, but as you said, the Zero Squad..." His voice trailed off as Bach directed an impatient look at him before turning toward Ukitake, who was helping Kyoraku to his feet. "Impressive reflexes for one in such a fragile condition as yourself, Ukitake Juushiro." He placed a hand to his chest and removed it, observing the small amount of blood that stained his it with passive interest. "Again, I seem to have made an error in judgement. Together, you three work with such fluidity that even I am impressed. I think your sensei would be proud."

The words achieved the desired effect Bach wanted them to. Kyoraku and Ukitake, mad with rage and grief at their mentor's greatest enemy using his name so carelessly, rushed Bach blindly. "Juushiro! Shunsui! Stop!" Unohana shouted, trying in vain to quell the fury of Yamamoto's greatest students. Bach watched the two elder Captains flying at him amusedly. "It seems that, along with his impressive battle skill, you two also inherited Yamamoto Shigekuni's brash mannerisms." He raised his blade behind his head to deliver a killing blow to the duo, who were traveling so fast they would be unable to stop themselves in time. "Do not worry. You shall see him soon. Farewell." Bach swung downward.

* * *

Ichigo closed his eyes and tried to calm himself for what he was about to do. Finding his peace of mind at last in Zangetsu's supportive presence, he spoke the words he had never thought he'd speak in his life. "Aizen. You have to help us. Please." He watched as the man sitting in the chair before him observed him with an air of bored amusement. After a few moments, he sat up straight in his throne and spoke.

"And why, pray tell, should I assist you, Kurosaki Ichigo?" He assumed that well-known, cocky smile. "What reason do I have to save the very group that sentenced me to this cell for 20,000 years?" Ichigo had been prepared for that question. He turned slightly, pointing toward the hole he had just entered Aizen's cell from. "Because out there the people you still consider your friends are dying." Aizen's lips parted into a full-on grin.

"Friends?" He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and shook his head firmly. "I have no use for friends. Friendship, trust, loyalty, these are the things we must be willing to give up if we wish to ascend beyond the conventional realms of mortality and achieve something more. Godhood, for instance." Aizen fixed Ichigo with a humorous gaze. "Furthermore, I'm rather certain you were there in the fake Karakura Town to observe my treatment of the ones you claim I regard as 'friends'."

Nodding, Ichigo actually managed a grin to match Aizen's. "Yeah, I was. Which is why I'm pretty sure you still have some kind of attachment to them, whether you want to admit it or not." Aizen furrowed his brow, but did not drop his smile. "Interesting, Kurosaki Ichigo. Are you perhaps insinuating that by cutting down the ones I viewed as my enemies without mercy, I was in fact displaying my affection toward them? How humorous." Ichigo shook his head, like Aizen, refusing to let the one he was conversing with wipe the expression from his face.

"But you did show them mercy, Aizen." He locked eyes with the seated man. "In the end, you refused to kill them." Aizen waved his hand in the air carelessly. "I explained this over a year ago, did I not? I simply wished for them to watch helplessly as I became the god this world needed." The orange-haired boy watched the smug demigod closely. "But why? What does it matter if they're alive to see you fulfill your goals? Surely their opinions don't mean anything to you if what you're claiming is true." Aizen was spared the chance to answer as Hitsugaya's reiatsu suddenly vanished.

"Toshiro!" Ichigo yelled with a look toward the ceiling. Aizen adopted an expression mocking concern. "How unfortunate, for one as young as Hitsugaya-taichou to fall in battle against an enemy he stood no chance against. It seems that Juha Bach, quite unlike myself, is incapable of staying his hand." He turned back to Ichigo, smiling pleasantly now. "Surely you wish to return to the battlefield and take up arms against the man who so effortlessly cut down the young Captain?" Ichigo was shaking now, all signs of the confidence he had displayed up until now completely gone. "I can't! You have to help me! Bach killed Jii-san! He killed Byakuya, he killed Kenpachi! I don't stand a chance, Aizen! You're the last one that can help, but you refuse! Why?! WHY?! THEY'RE YOUR FRIENDS TOO, AIZEN! I KNOW YOU STILL CA-" The boy shouted before being cut off by Aizen raising a finger and looking down helplessly at his hands. This was it. Ichigo knew that there was no chance that he would be able to save Soul Society in time. He was too weak to face Bach and Aizen wouldn't help him, wrapped up in his act as deeply as he was. He could feel Renji and Rukia's reiatsu fading, felt Byakuya's give one last shudder before snuffing out forever. They were all going to die, and it was all his fault.

Aizen watched the boy with an unreadable expression. "Don't. Don't shout, Kurosaki Ichigo." He lowered his finger as Ichigo sank to his knees, his head in his hands. Aizen's next words, however, pierced his despair. "I confess I am rather disappointed." Ichigo slowly rose his head to gaze at the man. "...Disappointed?" Ichigo breathed confusedly. Aizen nodded.

"Yes, Kurosaki Ichigo, disappointed. The previous evening you displayed rather remarkable mental fortitude when speaking with me, and again when you arrived in my cell up until now. You knew you were out of options, and that mere assurance in your own ability would do you no good. Yet even that pales in comparison to the air you assumed during our battle the previous year. That was not merely confidence what you had become was a man who knew how to channel his despair and sorrow into something usable. Something so powerful that you were able to face me in one-on-one combat despite my use of the Hogyoku. I admit, I was rather thrilled with the progress you had shown." Aizen frowned. "But it seems that the loss and recent regaining of your powers has stripped you of that mental state, Kurosaki Ichigo. Once again you are the weak little Ryoka boy that came rushing at me from the Garganta. The same helpless being that I explained would not be able to effectively swing your blade purely out of duty. You had to hate me. So you did, and you proved the truth of my words when you traveled to face me in the true Karakura Town."

Ichigo watched as Aizen rose from his throne at long last, looking down at the boy as though he were something filthy. "Now look at you. You are weak. Not weak in body, Kurosaki Ichigo, but weak in mind. You no longer hold the drive to defend the ones you claim to be your companions. Never would I have believed you would come to me requesting help. That is not the Kurosaki Ichigo I observed for all his life, the one which claimed he alone would shoulder the burdens of anyone who needed him. Without that belief that only you need place yourself in harm's way for the sake of others, Kurosaki Ichigo, you are worthless." Aizen shook his head and closed his eyes, but Ichigo's response caused him to open them and look back down at the Substitute Shinigami.

"You're wrong. I can still save everyone. Even if you won't help me." Ichigo looked up into Aizen's indecipherable eyes. "I'll do it alone." Aizen's speech had caused something to awake inside Ichigo's very essence. Whatever it was, it oozed such strong feelings that Ichigo felt all the trepidation he had just been experiencing disappear, and all the anger, sorrow and negative emotions that had wracked his soul fuse together to form one intense emotion: determination. There was no more time to cry helplessly as those he claimed to wish to save died in vain, there was no more time to wallow in self-pity while this man refused to offer his assistance and lectured him on his failures. He simply had to do this. Ichigo's very soul called out to him, two familar voices ringing in his very mind. "We're with you King, I'm glad you finally decided to stop being such a pussy." His hollow taunted. Zangetsu's voice followed. "Indeed, Ichigo. Even if we do not succeed, it is better to die standing than kneeling on the floor of this cell. Take our power. We believe in you."

Both beings that took up space in Ichigo's soul poured all their energy into him, and he saw his signature black and red reiatsu beginning to envelope Zangetsu, blocking it from both Ichigo and Aizen's view. As the energy began to dissipate, he observed Tensa Zangetsu's new form. It looked something rather akin to what it had become during his battle with Aizen, the chain was certainly as long as it had been that day, yet it still bore the standard Bankai guard. However, it was what he felt radiating from it that truly marked what had changed. Resolve. He was ready. Rising slowly, he turned his back to Aizen and made his way toward the exit of his cell. Standing beneath the beam of light that shone from hundreds of yards above, he turned his head to look at Aizen with one eye. "I never thought I'd say this... but thanks... Aizen."

Aizen smiled smugly and shrugged his shoulders, feigning confusion. "You are certainly welcome, Kurosaki Ichigo. Do let me know if you wish for me to insult you further. I must ask, however, where are you going? You just arrived. Are you finally ready to save your friends?" Ichigo turned from Aizen, and shook his head, his back now fully to the no longer imprisoned man. "No, Aizen. I'm going to save OUR friends." And with that, he rocketed out of the cell so fast he had no time to take in Aizen letting out a delighted laugh. "My, my, Kurosaki Ichigo. Charging into battle so brazenly. You certainly are easy to rouse back into action." He grinned. "Let us see if you truly are a man of your word, Juha Bach."

* * *

Bach's killing blow was stopped at the last moment. Wondering for the fraction of a second what could have possibly impeded his weapon, he quickly recognized the distinctive blade separating his own from the now stunned bodies of Kyoraku and Ukitake. The wielder of the blade had his eyes closed, but soon opened them. They showed nothing but resolution. He spoke. "Getsuga Tensho." Black and red reiatsu erupted toward the Quincy, who dodged the majority of the wave in the knick of time, leaving only his left hand to sustain a shallow cut. Bach looked down at the wound, stunned. "To break through my Blut..." He watched as the boy turned toward the Senior Captains, who had been watching him hesistantly.

"Unohana-san, Kyoraku-san, Ukitake-san." Ichigo said firmly. "Go help the others. I've got this." Ukitake was the first to recover from this statement, blinking at the orange-haired boy, he seemed to have trouble finding the words to express what he wanted to say without asking too many questions. "K-Kurosaki-san, how did you-, no, where did you, no, no." He seemed to decide the time for questions could come later. "We can't leave you here with this man. He's too strong." Ichigo smiled at the white-haired man Rukia called her Captain. "Trust me, Ukitake-san. I can handle it." Before Ukitake could form a retort, Unohana had stepped forward. "Very well." Her simple agreement to Ichigo's request temporarily struck her colleagues dumb. "The other Captains require our assistance Juushiro, Shunsui." She turned to leave. Kyoraku rose to his feet, an odd look in his eyes as he regarded the completely different boy he had seen leave the battlefield earlier. "...I think Unohana-senpai is right." He winked at Ichigo. "Looks like Ichigo-kun has this taken care of."

Ichigo did not smile, but merely nodded his head in thanks as Ukitake followed his friends away from the battle. Watching them Shunpo out of sight before turning back to Bach, Ichigo voiced what was currently going through his mind. "You didn't chase after them." Bach merely shrugged, the ghost of a grin palying at his features. "They will be dealt with soon enough, you are the more pressing matter at hand." And with that, Bach unsheathed his actual blade, not the reishi one he had been using up until now. Ichigo barely had time to parry as the force of the blow sent him skidding back into a nearby bulding. He rushed at the Quincy, his Bankai's natural speed-enhancements providing him with enough velocity to cause Bach to widen his eyes in surprise before barely managing to dodge. The bearded man noticed his subordinate moving to assist and barked an order. "Hashvald! I commanded you to observe! This does not change things!" Once again, his expression a mix of anxiety and obedience, the light-haired man bowed. "A-As you with Your Majesty."

For several minutes Ichigo and Bach exchanged blows. Slowly but surely, Ichigo watched as Bach was forced back, until he had nowhere left to back up to, a pile of rubble blocking his path. Bach frowned. "I did not wish to use this on anyone but the Zero Division." He reached into his cloak and pulled out the medallion Ichigo had seen Kirge attempt to use. "You can't use that on me. It doesn't work." The boy stated matter-of-factly, still wearing that same determined expression. Bach laughed and raised the medallion to Ichigo's eye level. "I am well aware of that, Kurosaki Ichigo. This is not for you, rather, this medallion is already full." Without warning, Bach swept Ichigo's legs out from under him. "You are too great of a potential threat boy. I will have to wipe you from reality itself so as to make sure you no longer interfere. You have already caused me to skirt dangerously close to the Zero Division's arrival." The medallion began to glow red. "Bankai. Zanka no Tachi: West."

Ichigo's mouth opened in shock right before the sheer force of the heat slammed into him. He could feel the skin on his arms peeling and burning before the dead layers turned to ash from Bach's mere presence. Forced to close his eyes due to the extreme temperatures, Ichigo had just enough time to watch Bach lift the charred blade behind his head before voicing his final thoughts. "Zangetsu... I know you said it was better to die fighting, but even still, I'd rather not die at all." He felt tears welling in his eyes before instantly evaporating as they came in contact with the air. "If I die, who will be left to protect Inoue? Or Rukia?" He shook his head, not caring that Bach was laughing amusedly at his breakdown. "What about my promise to Chad? I can't die. I have to live, if only for their sake. Someone, anyone... please." He bowed his head. "Jii-san! Dad! Urahara-san! God! Anyone! Please! I want to live! I have to live!" He heard Bach laugh even harder at this before addressing the boy.

"Praying will not save you boy. Die with some dignity, or did you expend all of it on your admirable display of willpower from just a few moments ago?" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You're life ends here, Kurosaki Ichigo. You will be erased from reality itself with the Bankai of the man you just called out to for help. I judge you and find you lacking." Bach swung down as hard as he could. "Sorry guys," was all Ichigo could manage before he closed his eyes, ready to embrace eternal darkness. But death never came. He heard Bach let out a sharp gasp, Hashvald scream "Juha Bach-sama!" and a low voice emit a singular statement. "Praying to God is not as fruitless as you might think it to be. It appears that you were prepared to break both our terms of agreement, Juha Bach." Ichigo lifted his head so quickly he felt his neck might snap.

Aizen stood between him and Bach. No longer covered in the remnants of his prison attire, the man instead wore traditional Shinigami robes, the Hogyoku still shining in his chest. His hair was still as disheveled as Ichigo had seen it during his sealing, but a loose strand hung directly in front of his face just as it had after his betrayal. The jewel Aizen relied on so heavily was emitting some kind of opaque shield that covered the ex-Captain and Ichigo, which seemed to serve the purpose of negating the effects of Yamamoto's Bankai. Indeed, Bach blade was stopped right at the threshold of the shield. After recovering from the shock of Aizen's arrival, Bach managed a wide grin. "My apologies, Aizen Sousuke. It seems I won't be able to keep our original deal. We can come to another agreement after I finish with this boy."

Shaking his head and wearing an affable smile himself, Aizen sighed deeply. "Alas, the terms I set before you were the only ones I wished to see fulfilled. I allowed you to break my first," He gestured toward the broken body of Hitsugaya a few yards away, "But I cannot simply allow you to ignore the other so carelessly." The Shinigami's eyes met the Quincy's. "You agreed to spare the lives of the rest of the Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13, and to similarly spare the life of Kurosaki Ichigo. Yet, you have failed to uphold both of these things, Juha Bach." Aizen made a motion with his hand, and to both Bach and Ichigo's horror, a Zanpakuto materialized before him, he took it by the hilt. "Furthermore, you apparently deemed yourself worthy to cast judgement upon my subjects. That, I am afraid to say, is something I simply cannot stand by and allow."

Aizen raised the blade upside-down before him. Ichigo shut his eyes as tightly as he could before he could heard the command that he knew was coming.. "Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu." Aizen intoned, and Ichigo heard the blade burst into pieces. Bach let out a loud "No!" before turning to scream a command at his subordinate. "Hashvald! Fall back to the palace!" Ichigo opened his eyes. Bach's right-hand man nodded quickly and was soon consumed by the same shadow Ichigo had seen Ebern disappear in. Bach himself was much slower to be covered by the anomaly and took the time to say one last remark to Aizen. "Do not be so quick to hate me, Aizen Sousuke. I still feel as though you and I could benefit from each other's partnership." Aizen merely smiled as Bach faded from Soul Society.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Ichigo didn't pay Aizen much mind as he turned to face the boy. "Like I said, Aizen, I never thought I'd have to say this, let alone twice, but... thanks. But... why did you finally decide to come?" Aizen's Zanpakuto disappeared from his hands and he regarded Ichigo with an almost curious look. "You begged God to spare your life, and being the benevolent deity that I am, I took pity upon you, Kurosaki Ichigo." Before Ichigo could ask any other questions, he watched as several Captains, namely Unohana, Kyoraku, Ukitake, Shinji, Komamura, Soifon, and their respective Vice-Captains, arrived behind Aizen, their blades all raised. "Kurosaki-san! What are you doing? Run!" Unohana shouted, but Ichigo shook his head. "Aizen's not the enemy. At least, not right now I think."

At his words, Aizen smiled fully and several of the Captains let out audible gasps. Unohana began to shout again. "K-Kurosaki-san! He obviously has you under some sort of illusion!" Again, Ichigo shook his head. "No. This is real, I know it." Suddenly, Aizen turned and began to stride toward the Captains, wordlessly. Everyone watched as Aizen walked right past the front line of Captains and stopped to face the girl standing behind Shinji. Still silent, he removed an arm from inside his robes and took Hinamori's chin in his hand, lifting her quivering face to look him in the eye. Shinji and the two nearest Captains, Soifon and Ukitake, moved to intervene, but were repelled by another barrier the Hogyoku projected.

"Momo." Aizen said at last, breaking the silence he had observed since the Captains' arrival. Hinamori let out a horrified squeak as Aizen scanned her features. "You changed your hair. It suits you." He adopted a horrifyingly cold smile. "It has been only a little over a year since I last saw you, yet already you have begun to blossom into a beautiful young lady." With that, Aizen lowered his face down to Hinamori's, the girl's eyes overflowing with a mixture of fear and longing. "A-Aizen-... taichou?" She moaned, and Aizen stopped a breath short of her lips, letting out a chuckle. "Tell me, Momo, do you perhaps hate the Vandenreich for slaying so many of your fellow Shinigami? Do you wish to join the rest of the Gotei 13's Captains in giving chase to them at their base of operations?" Hinamori nodded shakily. Aizen maintained that emotionless grin. "Ah. But I'm afraid that would put you in harm's way Momo, and I don't think I could allow such a thing to transpire."

Ichigo observed all the other Shinigami shouting as they watched Aizen suddenly run his blade through the girl's stomach. "Do not worry Momo. I will make sure you are kept away from such danger." Aizen cooed, his voice like oil.


	5. Notice

This is just an update to the readers of both my Bleach fics:

I will no longer be working on these, as thanks to this past week's chapter, 525, I have officially dropped the series. Words cannot describe just how idiotic this series has become since its decision to focus on Kenpachi, and this week sealed the deal for me. G'night folks!


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